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ABOUT GLOBAL LENS

The Global Lens film series was launched in 2003 to support the distribution of unique and critically acclaimed cinematic works from around the world. All proceeds from the series support community arts-initiatives, filmmaker grants and education programs…More

THE CUSTODIAN (El Custodio)

FILM INFORMATION

Synopsis As a bodyguard for a high profile politician, Ruben is reduced to a mere shadow of a man: every action in his life is regulated by a series of mundane routines, and everywhere his boss goes he must follow, watching but never speaking. Resigned to his invisibility, his life is a series of days without meaning, punctuated only by visits to a prostitute, in this compelling chronicle by first-time director Rodrigo Moreno of a man without any true identity or connection to the world in which he lives.

About the Director Rodrigo Moreno was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1972. He graduated from the directing program at the Universidad del Cine, where he has been teaching screenwriting and directing since 1996. He collaborated as writer and director with Ulises Rosell and Andrés Tambornino on the feature film Sweet Repose (2002), an offbeat comedy that won Best Film at Images du Monde Festival (Canada). He also wrote and directed Compañeros, the last segment of the episodic feature Bad Times (1998). He has previously directed several short films, his first being Nosotros (1993), which screened at the Berlin International Film Festival Forum (Germany) and won Best Film at the Bilbao Festival (Spain). The Custodian is his first feature film.

Available Screening Formats 35mm, DVD. Digibeta available upon request

"A rigorous character study shot from the p.o.v. of a minister's trusted bodyguard, 'El Custodio' takes the high road of Argentine minimalism…" -Variety

"…the resilience with which Moreno observes Rubén's life, creating a consistently intense analog between the headily clenched aesthetic of the film and the soul-crushing procedure Rubén submits to, reveals a keen understanding of the demoral-izing effects of a terrible job." -The Village Voice

“The movie is a triumph of mise-en-scene. Each shot has a reason to exist since Ruben's point-of-view is always respected, and the images and sounds we perceive reveal more about his inner life than any conversation or explanation.” -FIPRESCI

2006
Alfred Bauer Award, BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL
KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FRANKFURT
ALBA REGIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
HAIFA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
LATIN BEAT FILM FESTIVAL
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM
BERGEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
FILMS FROM THE SOUTH FESTIVAL
ERA NEW HORIZONS FILM FESTIVAL
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL BRATISLAVA
CASA DE AMERICA
SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
TAIPEI GOLDEN HORSE FILM FESTIVAL
DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL